Thanks for listening to me whine yesterday!! YOU all are the best!
It rained all day today so I had an excuse to do nothing! My beloved front yard with all it's Hostas is coming in very, very nice. The tulips I planted last fall even came up. I have to enjoy them while I can as the squirrels love to steal them. I even got lilacs on my bushes! FINALLY!
Now if the rain would stop so I can enjoy it!
This has been quite a week! Don't you just wish that folks in this world or in your little world would just dial it down a bit??? Like in the morning, how about leaving early so you don't have to go around my bus when I am loading your neighbor's kid? Or how about if you get off your phone while you are driving your little ones to the McDonalds when you could just as easily walk to the beautiful park in your well maintained new subdivision and have a PBJ picnic? You'd do your kids, yourself and the soaring gas prices a favor! Not to mention you'd be out of my way so I could do my job. Or how about if you'd parent you kids and tell them NO once in a while and mean it!??? That would save me from having to listen to your whiny kid as I try and drive through rush hour traffic so I can get your little darling home in one peice!
That doesn't include all the co-workers of mine who think it's their job to correct other bus drivers on their driving abilities. LIGHTEN UP FOLKS! One of my co-workers who brings my early childhood kids in to school even wrote up a 3 year old because he wouldn't say he was sorry for hitting another kid! The kid is 3 and can barely answer a question you ask him. This 3 year old is in a special needs class for a reason!! He's special and has no clue as to what I am sorry is or why he hit his friend. And even if he did, don't write him up! Then I got to be the one who listened to his mother at the bus stop rant about how she thinks this little write up will be on his record for life. It won't be, but she is the Earth momma type who take these things personally. I know I am not that awesome, but I do know how kids are as well as parents, AND know how to talk to them. <whew!!> I am feeling much better now!
With only 5 more weeks of school I have finally had to assign seats on my grade school bus. My 5th graders all think they are all ready for Junior high and can't be bothered to deal with the little kids without calling them stupid or telling them to shut up. SOOOOOO rather than punish all of them, I re-organized my bus. Put the little seat jumpers in front, the "I'm all that" girls in the middle and the kids that actually behave in the back. Problem solved! See I am teachable and next year I am doing the same thing right from the start!
It's all about the presentation when you are dealing others...and how you say it...I should have been a psych major! ;)
For me it's all good on bus 30. Especially now that I can drive in peace!
Two more of my little grandsons:
Liz and Dakota, in his Purdue football shirt (from grandma of course!), this from this past Feburary a couple of days right before he got hospitalized for pnemonia. He just doesn't look right does he?
Jacob and his Mohawk. He's wearing an University of Illinois shirt from Uncle Jim. Uncle Matt cut their hair. My stepsons have always cut their own hair or each others.
There are days I look back and miss my kids being teenagers. I miss all the sports, the togetherness and the chaos in the house. BUT I also am and grateful of the quiet, the freedom and the joy of just being with my husband, he can be a pain, but he is my best friend and that's so cool.
Besides now I have the grandkids to cheer on!
Have a great weekend!!
~~Jacob Febrary~~
"RIGHT ON! grandpa!" the little stinker can say GRANDPA!
~~Dakota February~~
"I know I know I am a cutie!! "
~~Jacob the end of March
"My favorite is GRAVE DIGGER 'ama!"
~~Dakota the end of March
"am I big enough for the jumps yet???"
The pictures of the kids were taken two months apart. Before and after major haircuts. The early ones they had Mohawks. I can NOT believe how fast they change and grow up!!
more later!
ohhhhhhhh it's cold out! After glorious spring sunshine which has lasted for days we got up to blowing winds and gray skies. I stepped off my bus to blowing rain and brrrrrrrrrrr chilly downright cold winds.
With only 6 weeks of school left I have been tolerating smart mouthed preteen girls who are mad at me for writing up their friend for repeatly standing up. My reply? "when they get a CDL and turn 21 they can drive a bus and be the boss, until then zip it up!" Such disrespect. I realize much of it is allowed at home, but as I have always said what's cute at 4, 8 and 11 is NOT cute at 13, 15 and 17! My short daily trip with these little darlings is nothing compared to a lifetime of dealing with a spoiled kid who then turns into a rotten adult. Hopely these wanna be woman will out outgrow this phase.
I have 4 disposible cameras filled with pictures of my grandsons. I think today I will remember to bring them with me so I can drop them off to get them develped. They've gotten so big -- and so boy-like. Last weekend when I saw them they were truly turning into little boys, NOT big babies. Their other grandma is tired of babysitting all day, so hopefully I can watch them after school is out. It will nearly be summer, warm, sunny and they have pool!! Fun! fun for grandma! Plus I just love 'em!
This was a busy work week for me. I have spent yesterday and today catching up with you all! The weather has been awesome....it's hard to stay inside when it's so gorgeous.
Spring has sprung here and I am loving it.
Hope your weekend is a wonderful one!!
'ama Rose: "whatcha getting from the Easter Bunny Jacob?"
Jacob: (holding up 1 finger): " one peice of purple candy 'ama Rose"
I hope the Easter bunny was good to you today!
May this day be the beginning of a season of rebirth, renewal and hope....
Enjoy my dear friends! ENJOY!
Today is a bright and sunny day! Mark's at work (yip---eeee!), Liz is at play practice and I am enjoying the quiet of the morning. It's funny though how people get when the weather warms up. They ALL go outside! And they stay up late. My neighborhood was pretty noisy. We had our windows open last night. This morning I woke up to happy birds. I'll take that anyday for the warmth of SPRING!
My son Tim called me yesterday very upset. His Uncle died. Wes was my ex's oldest brother. He smoked for many years and was on oxygen. He also was a volunteer fireman. When Tim was born he gave him all sorts of fire equipement, toy trucks, books on firemen. Tim loved it. He still does love firefighters. He called Tim his 'buddy friend'. Tim's dad and stepmom were in Green Bay about 6 hours away when the call came from Wes's wife. They wanted Tim to go and stay with her. Tim was at a friends and didn't have his car so I went and picked him up. Needless to say as soon as he got in the car he lost it. My children tend to take all things emotional to heart, and have no problem expressing them to me. He said he couldn't face Wes's wife, he had some guilt feels about his uncle and I am thinking he just need to feel his emotions and since I am mom it was ok to let it out. I ended up taking him to my house, his aunt ended up staying with a friend, so it all worked out. A few hours later when his friends picked him up he was doing better.
Death is difficult for anyone, I realized yesterday the older you get the easier it is to accept. I think when you are young you aren't supposed to accept it, youare young after all...the whole world ahead of you. For me, I am beginning to understand how older, sick people can accept the fact that they are going to die. I certainly do not want to die anytime soon, but I am beginning to understand. With age comes wisdom. Hope your day is a great one, enjoy every single minute...life is very short!
The warm, and I mean warm bright and sunny weather of this past week has brought back all the joy of living life for me. Our little trip to Indy and the awesome Minister we saw gave my soul the boost I was seeking. I feel refreshed and renewed.
Spring is truely in the air! It's been 80 degrees for the past few days, sunny and awesome! I've been busy at work, too. We have our Bus Evacuation drills, and I attended a class on autiusm. Wednesday and Thursday for 5 hour days, but I seem to work more on those days. Today is the last day off of this school year. I told my junior high kids that we have 6 straight weeks of school before Memorial day. They all groaned, leave it to the bus driver to wreck their day.
My student who I've had so much trouble with moved back with her mom and dad. At least that is what her foster sister is telling me. The girl has told me about her parents before, it's hard to tell what is the truth, wishful thinking or her preception, I wish her the best though. Hopefully being with her birth parents will help her straighen out...
Mark is back to work full time, THANK GOD! His motorcycle ( 1980 Harley Davidson full dresser, a big bike) is in the shop and we should be able to get it out this week. We didn't ride at all last summer as the bike needed some minor stuff done to it & I am looking forward to many carefree nights and weekends of riding. Plus the added benefit is fuel costs, he can drive it to work, safe a bunch on gas.
We are watching the boys tomorrow evening. We really don't do much for Easter. I try to cook a ham, I am not big fan of ham, but Mark likes it. My son Eric is mad because Menards is open and he has to work. When I drove my paper route for years I always worked holidays, everyday for that matter. Most likely we will just be together as a family greatful for the true meaning of the day.
Whatever your believes, I wish you a wonderful weekend!
Happy Spring and Happy Easter!
This was a quick week and I am grateful. Liz made it home safely from Disney she was slightly crabby on Monday, but she did go to school. She's a trooper. She has a meeting for a job tomorrow night at the park district. I think she will do fine, I told her for this type of job her acting abilities will do her well, because this type of job is all about personality.
This year she is not acting she is doing stage crew, which she prefers. Plus the Drama director asked her to head it up next year. My child is much more outgoing then I was in high school. I admire her, I wasted a lot of time worrying about what other people thought of me. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders and is very outspoken. I admire that.
I'd like to think that most parents would like their children to go farther, have more benefits and have an easier time than they had. But I believe obstacles create strength. I just hate to see my kids suffer, it's so difficult. Letting go isn't easy. My youngest stepson, who lived with us for a year, at that time he got mad at me because I had a problem with him having his 15 year old girlfriend here alone, when he was 18, plus she is a cops daughter. He constantly caused strife, pushed his limits, but was actually passing school! He went back to his mother, came 1 semester away from graduating high school. And flunked out. He's been gone for over a year and still is doing nothing but waste time. He got arrested last Friday and got to spend the weekend in jail. He didn't call us, because I've rescued him enough, tried hard to guide him since he was 9 years old. Now at 19 he has no purpose in life except to think big thoughts, create big schemes and do nothing but hang out and drink. Very sad. The kid has so much going for him too. He just won't take an guidance, and blames his parents for the way he is.
But I will not give up on him, I believethat some how some way he will wake up, God works in wonderful and unusual ways. Let's hope so with this one.
It's never boring having 8 kids between the ages of 17 and 30, never ever boring!
Time to pack we are off for a mini vacation!
Have a wonderful weekend!!
I slept in and it feels grrrrrrrrrrreat! Only thing is it's gloomy and gray outside. STILL! I NEED THE SUN! It's gotta come out some day right??
Liz called a while ago and they are only in Tennessee which by my calculations will get them home by the earliest, 11 pm. Then they have to unload the buses, etc. This trip has seemed really goofy to me from the start. Their director made excuses as to why it was only 5 days long, really too short to drive 4 charter size buses loaded with teenagers all the way from Northern Illinois to Orlando Florida. On the way down the had to take 4 potty/food stops. And then to cut it so close to be home on Sunday night right before they have to go back to school. Oh well, I've done this before, waited up, only to nod off and have my kid call me to come and get her. She really needs to get her driver's license, but THAT IS another story!
My GREAT son Tim came over last night and brought us Chinese Food, my favorite. I think every mother needs to have at least one kid that is good/GREAT to her. And Tim's it! Next weekend Mark and I are going away for our anniversary. It will be nice to go away and relax.
I did some cleaning today, you know catch up on laundry and the floors, think I'll go soak in the tub...sounds good eh???
"The first of April
is the day we remember
what we are the other 364 days of the year."
~By Mark Twain~
11 years ago today Mark and I became hubby and wife! We put together two groups of children, his 5 sons and my 2 sons and daughter. Fortunately for us the kids knew each other because of youth tackle football and all actually got and still do get along very well. Almost like blood. A couple of the kids even wore matching outfits for the wedding!! We were married in a small cozy church in downtown Oswego. Who knew then we'd buy a house 2 blocks away. Mark and I actually went to high school together, he is two years older than me. He was a popular jock and I was sort-of a dork. But age is the great equalizer. He's the dork now!!
We told the kids that they were not allowed to yell APRIL FOOLS in the middle of the wedding. None of them did and here we are 11 years later. Time has gone by quickly, but we sure packed a lot into 11 years. Mark is still my best friend and I am so blessed to have him in my life. We both have taken our not so great pasts and learned from them. I believe for us COMMUNICATION is key to our friendship. That and a load of help from God.
And that's no joke!
